Growing up in northern New Jersey, all I ever did was complain about how cold it is from October until March. I would hate how the wind blew right into my eyes, my lips were cracked and my skin dried up regardless of how much lotion I put on my elbows. I hated how my bedroom at home was always freezing, I was always afraid of getting into a car accident when the roads were slippery and shoveling my driveway gave me a workout. The only good things that came out of it for me were Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve.

Never did I think I would miss the cold weather…until this past Thanksgiving when I realized how much I miss out on when the temperature is over 50 degrees.

I treated myself to some hot chocolate from Starbucks last week, drank it while walking outside and was sweating. I don’t drink coffee, so I always resort to hot chocolate in the fall and winter, a Strawberries and Crème Frappuccino in the spring and lemonade in the summer. Once the leaves fall and my jacket comes out, I am in the mood for some fall festivities. October was perfect; yet this December, hot chocolate has been overheating me rather than warming me up.

I also love to layer my clothing. Although I do this a little in October, usually November is when the scarves and cardigans make an appearance. However, I seem to be too warm wearing a jacket over my sweater. When I wear my UGGS, my feet start to sweat when I wear them, especially when I am walking around my campus. For many women, fall and winter are meant for creating cute outfits with layered pieces. Yet, this weather makes me want to wear just one layer!

Another thing the winter stops me from is baking. Baking is one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season. M&M and chocolate chip cookies, brownies, cupcakes; the holiday season is the perfect excuse to bend the rules of your diet. Few things warm my heart more during the holiday season than the smell of freshly baked goods coming out of the oven. However, it does not help when you don’t want to turn the oven on because the house is already warm enough as it is. Outside is also decently warm so opening the window does not help much. I never used to mind the five second blast of heat that came out when I opened the oven door; now, I do.

Lastly, having absolutely zero snow makes “getting into the holiday spirit” quite a challenge. While I hate driving in it and shoveling it, I love the first snow fall. In my opinion, waking up to a winter wonderland always made me happy as a child and still does to this day. Especially in college, waking up to a blanket of snow covering the campus usually leads to a snow day. Who doesn’t love sledding down the hills of William Paterson University, making hot chocolate and popcorn, watching a movie with your roommate, sleeping in or having an extra day to study? I know I do. Plus, I have always felt that Christmas lights look better when covered in snow and Christmas music is more relevant when we really are “dashing through the snow.”

Now, I’m sure that when the snow does eventually hit (if it does this season), I will probably read this and ask myself, “What was I thinking?!” But honestly, I really do miss the snow. So for now, I will let myself miss it. When the snow hits though, I’ll wrap myself in my fuzzy blanket, make hot chocolate, put my fuzzy socks on, and watch "Mean Girls."

I sure you all will be doing the same.